Cross-Contamination

Not a Clean Knife!

I was eating some toast for breakfast in the common kitchen of my dormitory. I buttered it with a knife that must had been used to spread peanut butter. There wasn’t a visibly noticeable amount of peanut butter on it, but enough to trigger a serious allergic reaction which sent me to the hospital.

What can others learn from this?

Just be careful! You can never just assume something is safe without double checking. I should have used a clean knife from the drawer, instead of using one that was lying around the kitchen.

Scrape that Grill

My friends and I went to a new restaurant for a bite after a sports game. I told the waiter about my seafood allergy. He replied that they have dealt with food allergies before and I have nothing to worry about. After eating my chicken I started having an allergic reaction in the restaurant. I asked the waiter if the chicken was cooked on the same grill as fish, and after checking with the kitchen, I found out it was.

What can others learn from this?

I should have asked more questions at the start regarding their kitchen practices, rather than just taking his word that they knew how to deal with food allergies. I could have spoken to the chef as well to make sure the kitchen staff knew what cross contamination was and how it can be avoided.

Have you had an issue with regard to cross-contamination? How did you manage it? Share your experience!